Will we have a dominant Offensive line this season?

[Country Stylz]

We've got the size. We've got experience. We've got guys that were highly recruited. We're going into the second year under the best O-Line coach in the game. We also have some backs. It seems like it should be about time to start blowing some holes open and running for 300 yards on people. Starting week one in Jordan Hare.

[sowmonella]

If we can get good play at center, we should be very strong. :razorback:

[Uncommon]

Just to help with the thread:

2014 Arkansas Razorbacks Offensive Line

4 Redshirt Seniors
Luke Charpentier
Cameron Jefferson
Johnathan McClure
Chris Stringer

1 Senior
Brey Cook

4 Redshirt Juniors
Austin Beck
Marcus Danenhauer
Grady Ollison
Mitch Smothers

1 Junior
Sebastian Tretola

1 Redshirt Sophomore
Cordale Boyd

2 Sophomores
Denver Kirkland
Dan Skipper

1 Redshirt Freshman
Reeve Koehler

2 Freshman
Frank Ragnow
Brian Wallace

[Al Boarland]

Probably next season.

[onebadrubi]

I say one to two more seasons.  I think we hoped for one more impact lineman this year.  But with Pruitt not making it and the one new transfer, maybe it will wash?  I still think one more year but even then we will be thin.  We really could use 3-4 ragnow/Wallace types in this incoming class.

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

We are still a year away IMO. But once Skipper, Kirkland, Wallace, Ragnow get going, We should have something special.

The game is still won up front. Bama, Aggies and Auburn's success has all started from dominate Olines.

[chitwnhog]

I think this is a great question. I never thought we would start two TRUE Freshmen last season. I honestly believed that the players who had been in the program for several years would easily start. I was wrong. Given that I think we are a few years away.

[Arkiebarkie]

We will get it done this year on the OL.  Coach Pittmans influence on this unit will be the corner stone of our offense.  Its the back seven on defense that we need to fix and i believe the defensive coaches are working hard to correct that. We shall see!

[gmarv]

how this group does will determine how good ba does also.
i,m hoping ba looks great!

[Pork Twain]

Next season should be awesome, when our puppies grow up.

[three hog night]

Just to help with the thread:

2014 Arkansas Razorbacks Offensive Line

4 Redshirt Seniors
Luke Charpentier
Cameron Jefferson
Johnathan McClure
Chris Stringer

1 Senior
Brey Cook

4 Redshirt Juniors
Austin Beck
Marcus Danenhauer
Grady Ollison
Mitch Smothers

1 Junior
Sebastian Tretola

1 Redshirt Sophomore
Cordale Boyd

2 Sophomores
Denver Kirkland
Dan Skipper

1 Redshirt Freshman
Reeve Koehler

2 Freshman
Frank Ragnow
Brian Wallace

We will surprise our opponents THIS YEAR.   We have the best Oline talent in recent memory and just enough upper class talent to lend stability this year.   Our OLINE will be MUCH better this year than expected.

[RyeHogFan]

how this group does will determine how good ba does also.
i,m hoping ba looks great!

You are correct, sir! Aside from the obvious issues with his shoulder, Allen's next biggest problem last year was often his pass protection. Whenever the OL stood firm and gave him time, he looked good. Whenever they beat and he was being pressured, he made his mistakes. Also, with the OL run-blocking well, our stud RBs will get good yards which will in turn greatly improve the effectiveness of the play action, leaving Allen with open TEs or WR's coming on slants and crosses. It all starts with the blocking, which opens up lanes for the running game which opens up areas for the passing game.

[three hog night]

You are correct, sir! Aside from the obvious issues with his shoulder, Allen's next biggest problem last year was often his pass protection. Whenever the OL stood firm and gave him time, he looked good. Whenever they beat and he was being pressured, he made his mistakes. Also, with the OL run-blocking well, our stud RBs will get good yards which will in turn greatly improve the effectiveness of the play action, leaving Allen with open TEs or WR's coming on slants and crosses. It all starts with the blocking, which opens up lanes for the running game which opens up areas for the passing game.

Man, you nailed it

[RT1941]

We will surprise our opponents THIS YEAR.   We have the best Oline talent in recent memory and just enough upper class talent to lend stability this year.   Our OLINE will be MUCH better this year than expected.

I agree 100%.  Upperclassmen have a whole lot more to contribute to the team than just muscle & experience.  They also provide leadership to the young guys and can drive the motivation in a possitive direction.  This team needs to be mentally strong as well as physycially strong.  They gotta learn how to WIN.

[BigD94]

Are we looking at Charpentier at center probably or is Ragnow good enough to come in and play?

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

Are we looking at Charpentier at center probably or is Ragnow good enough to come in and play?

Mitch Smoothers passed Charpentier in the Spring at center. But IMO the coaching staff believes Tretola or Ragnow will win the starting job.

[jgphillips3]

I'm not sure about dominant, but with Pittman, I think we will have excellence and eventually dominance.

[Hawgzinbowlz]

With this being the second year of Coach Pittman's influence, and with our incoming players, we should be in the middle of the SEC offensive lines. If we play up to our capabilities, and minimize mistakes, BA should have enough time to perform and our RBs should show improvement over '13. Our pass blocking success and BA efficiently executing our passing attack, when given time, is #1 in keeping the chains moving. Enough passing success to keep the opposing Ds from stacking the box. Then we can run the ball consistently.
I don't think Coach Pittman/CBB will be satisfied with an average/mediocre offensive line. The group of Jefferson, Wallace and Ragnow should help our depth and we may see one of them start some games this year.
A second year in Coach Pittmans system should make us improved over '13.

" GO HOGS "

[three hog night]

With this being the second year of Coach Pittman's influence, and with our incoming players, we should be in the middle of the SEC offensive lines. If we play up to our capabilities, and minimize mistakes, BA should have enough time to perform and our RBs should show improvement over '13. Our pass blocking success and BA efficiently executing our passing attack, when given time, is #1 in keeping the chains moving. Enough passing success to keep the opposing Ds from stacking the box. Then we can run the ball consistently.
I don't think Coach Pittman/CBB will be satisfied with an average/mediocre offensive line. The group of Jefferson, Wallace and Ragnow should help our depth and we may see one of them start some games this year.
A second year in Coach Pittmans system should make us improved over '13.

" GO HOGS "

We are going to have the ability to play the 2nd string Olineman quite a bit for the first time in years.   A fresh Oline in the 4th qtr will be monumental.

[Hoggish1]

We've got the size. We've got experience. We've got guys that were highly recruited. We're going into the second year under the best O-Line coach in the game. We also have some backs. It seems like it should be about time to start blowing some holes open and running for 300 yards on people. Starting week one in Jordan Hare.

Averaging 300 yards a game is what I'm expecting.

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

Averaging 300 yards a game is what I'm expecting.

We averaged 357 yards per game last year so you shouldn't be disappointed.

[RT1941]

We are going to have the ability to play the 2nd string Olineman quite a bit for the first time in years.   A fresh Oline in the 4th qtr will be monumental.

Amen!  Depth is a thing of beauty in this conference.

[Big Poppa Z]

By mid-November I believe we'll have something formidable.

Prior?  We're not experienced.  It's an unknown.

[Hawgzinbowlz]

We are going to have the ability to play the 2nd string Olineman quite a bit for the first time in years.   A fresh Oline in the 4th qtr will be monumental.

By the time we hit "Jerry's World" Coach Pittman should be able to have an effective rotation. Our depth appears to be the best/most talented in years. When the Tide rolls into DWRRS we should be hitting on all cylinders available. Just give us a competitive game and maybe a miracle. LOL
Oh, Charpentier was respectable, when he played center last year, in Swanson's place. Smothers had a good spring and if anyone beats them out, that player would be outstanding. Nice depth.

" GO HOGS "

[Grizzlyfan]

Do any of the first 10 guys on the list have a lock on a starting spot?

[Hawgzinbowlz]

Do any of the first 10 guys on the list have a lock on a starting spot?

Cook, Kirkland and Skipper are the ones that appear to be a lock. The fall camp should be interesting. If the coach's think someone is ahead of one of the above three, these locks could change. Lots of competition and newcomers this fall camp. Good conversations and interesting.

" GO HOGS "

[Grizzlyfan]

Cook, Kirkland and Skipper are the ones that appear to be a lock. The fall camp should be interesting. If the coach's think someone is ahead of one of the above three, these locks could change. Lots of competition and newcomers this fall camp. Good conversations and interesting.

" GO HOGS "

My point being that with 9 guys who've been on campus at least 4 years only 1 has a lock on a starting spot.  We still need to be patient.  The OL recruiting has been fantastic but if you are plugging in freshman and transfers with an opportunity to start you are still behind the curve.  At least the SEC curve.

[Biggus Piggus]

Every signal is that Arkansas will start a newcomer at center, if possible. They plan to bend over backwards giving them a chance. Left guard also will be a newcomer. Could be the UNLV transfer, or a true freshman, or Skipper if the coaches decide one of the freshmen should start at left tackle.

Second half of the season, the Hogs should look pretty solid.

[Al Boarland]

Keep in mind that Bama, LSU, Auburn and Ole Miss will all have VERY good defensive lines.  Those will be true tests.

[three hog night]

By the time we hit "Jerry's World" Coach Pittman should be able to have an effective rotation. Our depth appears to be the best/most talented in years. When the Tide rolls into DWRRS we should be hitting on all cylinders available. Just give us a competitive game and maybe a miracle. LOL
Oh, Charpentier was respectable, when he played center last year, in Swanson's place. Smothers had a good spring and if anyone beats them out, that player would be outstanding. Nice depth.

" GO HOGS "

I think Smothers and Charpentier are better than we all think, but the coaches are using incoming freshman to motivate these guys during the summer.

[ComeonHogs!!!]

Good question. Watching the film posted on a link in the thread that was talking about the aurbarn, hog game, it really gives a idea of how much work we need to do to get to the upper lvl in this league. (damn that was hard to say about auburn, but they did play for the NC)
I had to go back and watch the line play twice to really convince myself what I was seeing. when Auburn had the ball in the run game they played about a 1 1/2 yards in front of the line, When we had the ball even to -2.
It really showed the price we payed to have to play freshman on our O line, what surprised me was getting pushed back so much on d, but after the NFL draft it made since.
I believe also we are heading in the right direction but still a good year away. hopefully then its just reloading time.

[tophawg19]

keep in mind that our o-line goes against a really good d-line every day in practice

[PygmalionEffect]

Every signal is that Arkansas will start a newcomer at center, if possible. They plan to bend over backwards giving them a chance. Left guard also will be a newcomer. Could be the UNLV transfer, or a true freshman, or Skipper if the coaches decide one of the freshmen should start at left tackle.

Second half of the season, the Hogs should look pretty solid.

If going into his fourth year up on the Hill, Smothers gets beaten out by a true freshman, (again)  I think we can conclude that he's a bust.

Obviously wouldn't bode well for the other upperclassmen that can't get on the field, but Smothers was ranked in the Top 100 at any position by ESPN coming out of high school.

I got to believe Smothers will play material minutes at Guard or Center.

[Biggus Piggus]

If going into his fourth year up on the Hill, Smothers gets beaten out by a true freshman, (again)  I think we can conclude that he's a bust.

Obviously wouldn't bode well for the other upperclassmen that can't get on the field, but Smothers was ranked in the Top 100 at any position by ESPN coming out of high school.

I got to believe Smothers will play material minutes at Guard or Center.

Back then the folks doing recruiting for ESPN were greenhorns. But something was wrong with a lot of ratings in that class. How on earth did Kelvin Fisher get 4 stars? Anyone remember 4-star Andrew Peterson? Quinta Funderburk? Keante Minor? All wrong. Dead wrong.

Smothers and Tevin Mitchel got 4 stars. Brey Cook was a 5-star. They all were at least 1 star overrated, unless they are awesome from this day forward. I am not being subjective but working off the stated standards for star ratings. A 5-star is supposed to be All-America caliber. And a 4-star is supposed to be all-conference. The upper end 3-stars are solid starters, lower end for guys with potential to start but not certain pro-type ability. The 3-star category is enormous, should be divided in two or three. It is a bucket where they throw a lot of guys they haven't evaluated well but are obviously talented -- because of high-major interest.

Many services take the pro-type approach and rate players according to ability. Scout has a crap system. They arbitrarily assign 5 stars to their top 50. The next group down to 300 gets 4 stars. Then there's a gigantic pool of 3-star ratings. And 2-star guys are recruited by decent schools but not evaluated by the recruitniks.

[Biggus Piggus]

I think Smothers and Charpentier are better than we all think, but the coaches are using incoming freshman to motivate these guys during the summer.

This is not what I'm hearing. These guys do not need motivation. They are doing what they can do, but the incoming players have better athletic ability.

[Hawgzinbowlz]

I think Smothers and Charpentier are better than we all think, but the coaches are using incoming freshman to motivate these guys during the summer.

They both would be adequate. If someone jumps up and surpasses them, good for The Hogs. I like the direction of our OL and it appears to be better this year than last. Not where it will ultimately be but it will be solid. Glad for Coach Pittman, and he's worth it.

" GO HOGS "

[HF#1]

I have little concern with our offensive line and our running game.  I think we will dominate teams in the run game this year. 

We need to catch the football and make plays for Brandon Allen.  That's my concern.

[GuvHog]

I have little concern with our offensive line and our running game.  I think we will dominate teams in the run game this year. 

We need to catch the football and make plays for Brandon Allen.  That's my concern.

Agreed. Arkansas can most certainly dominate with that loaded backfield this season but only if they have a passing game that is efficient enough to force opponents to respect it. Otherwise opponents will go 1 on 1 with the Hog receivers and stack the box to stop the run.

[PygmalionEffect]

Back then the folks doing recruiting for ESPN were greenhorns. But something was wrong with a lot of ratings in that class. How on earth did Kelvin Fisher get 4 stars? Anyone remember 4-star Andrew Peterson? Quinta Funderburk? Keante Minor? All wrong. Dead wrong.

Smothers and Tevin Mitchel got 4 stars. Brey Cook was a 5-star. They all were at least 1 star overrated, unless they are awesome from this day forward. I am not being subjective but working off the stated standards for star ratings. A 5-star is supposed to be All-America caliber. And a 4-star is supposed to be all-conference. The upper end 3-stars are solid starters, lower end for guys with potential to start but not certain pro-type ability. The 3-star category is enormous, should be divided in two or three. It is a bucket where they throw a lot of guys they haven't evaluated well but are obviously talented -- because of high-major interest.

Many services take the pro-type approach and rate players according to ability. Scout has a crap system. They arbitrarily assign 5 stars to their top 50. The next group down to 300 gets 4 stars. Then there's a gigantic pool of 3-star ratings. And 2-star guys are recruited by decent schools but not evaluated by the recruitniks.

yea, no one else had Smothers that high.  He was a 3 star on Rivals and one of the others I think.

Fisher was a real mystery to me.  I think he had over 2,000 yds rushing his senior season in H.S.  His highlight video was 15 minutes of him scoring touchdowns from everywhere on the field.  None of our Arizona recruits panned out.

Peterson had off field/character issues, so it's difficult to know if he was overrated from a talent standpoint, as I don't hold recruiting services responsible for knowing if a recruit is going to get arrested in college if they weren't arrested while in high school.

Tevin probably showed flashes as a freshman that justified his 4 star rating, then he suffered his first concussion and he hasn't been the same since, although it looked like he was getting it back together at the end of last season. (fingers crossed)

Funderburk fooled a lot of fans here.  He came here slow, so that one really has the characteristics of a mis-evaluation by the services and previous staff and he also didn't have his head on straight either.

Minor -also overrated by the services in hindsight.

That's why instead of looking at our exact ranking, it might be more accurate to see how we rank within a range, say 1-10, then 11-20, then 21-30, meaning I wouldn't put much value in finishing 23rd instead of 28th, but there is usually a difference in finishing 9th instead of 25th despite all the mis-evaluations.